Audi will build all of these models in China

A new agreement between Audi and joint venture partner FAW makes the German automaker more prepared for China’s goal of electric vehicles accounting for 40 percent of new car sales by 2030. Over the next five years, the automakers will launch five E-tron models there, and the firms will produce all of them locally. Audi won’t go into detail about what vehicles it will electrify, but ranges of over 311 miles (500 kilometers) will be possible for some of them, according to the company.

“China is the leading market worldwide for electric mobility. With our E-tron initiative, we want to create a compelling premium offer of products and services here,” Dietmar Voggenreiter, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Audi, said in the deal’s announcement.

Audi is rapidly getting more serious about electrified vehicles. The E-Tron crossover will launch in 2018 as the first entry in the Four Rings’ upcoming EV onslaught and will reportedly look the E-Tron Quattro Concept (above). A battery pack from Samsung SDI and LG Chem will offer a range over 310 miles (500 kilometers). An electric sedan and compact model car will also be part of the future range.

The push towards electrification comes from Volkswagen Group’s Together – Strategy 2025 product plan. The ambitious strategy aims for 30 EVs in the corporation’s lineup and at least two million annual sales within the next five years.

In addition to promising more electrified models for the local market, Audi and FAW’s new strategic agreement also outlines ways to become even closer partners. For example, they plan to launch a company in China that would focus on mobility and digital services. The firms also want to work together more on offering financial services to buyers there.

AUDI AG is set to further expand its business activities in the Chinese market: Together with its local partner FAW Group, the company has defined 21 key strategy fields with respective goals in a 10-year plan. Audi will significantly expand its model portfolio locally produced at FAW VW and enter new segments, including electrified automobiles. With a new dedicated company for mobility and digital services, the two partners want to advance their joint commitment in this expanding premium business segment. Furthermore Audi and FAW will intensify their collaboration in financial services aiming to serve the rapidly growing demand from Audi customers in this field. With this agenda for the future, Audi and FAW are laying the groundwork to continue the growth strategy of the four rings in China.

The agreement was signed yesterday in Changchun by Rupert Stadler, CEO of AUDI AG, Jochem Heizmann, President of Volkswagen Group China, and Xu Ping, Chairman of Board of Directors of FAW Group.

“In the past 29 years, Audi and the FAW Group have written Chinese automotive history. Together we have established the premium market in China and have continuously advanced its development,” says Rupert Stadler. “Now we are once again setting a historic milestone by enhancing our successful partnership with a strong roadmap for the coming decade.”

“We are starting the next phase of our joint growth path in China. More than ever, our partnership is focusing on profitable, sustainable growth,” says Dietmar Voggenreiter, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG, with regard to the signing of the agreement in Changchun. “China is the leading market worldwide for electric mobility. With our e-tron initiative, we want to create a compelling premium offer of products and services here.”

In the next five years alone, Audi and FAW have agreed to produce five additional e-tron models locally and introduce them to the Chinese market – including purely battery-powered cars with ranges of more than 500 kilometers (310.7 mi). With the Audi A6 L e-tron as first locally produced plug-in hybrid and the Q7 e-tron* as import model, Audi will sell two electrified full-size models in China from this year on.